Squires Gate 1 Hanley Town 1: Hosts are forced to settle for a point

The visitors came looking to pick up points in their fight to avoid the drop, while Gate were looking to push themselves further into the top 10.

The game started in a competitive manner with both sides looking to size each other up.

Gate’s first chance came when Adam Sumner found himself in space on the edge of the box but his fierce piledriver was tipped over.

However, they took the lead after six minutes when Riccardo Egidi made it two goals in two games, bundling the ball home at the back post.

The lead didn’t last long though as, straight from the kick-off, the visitors equalised with Serkari Ahmadi given too much time to cut inside and beat Ben Fletcher.

Dean Ing had a good chance in the 11th minute but he could not connect properly with the ball on the edge of the box.

Gate were mostly restricted to long shots in the first half as Andy Clarkson’s men struggled to get past Hanley’s backline before the break.

Hanley came close to taking the lead in the second half but they fired over the bar.

Ing took aim again from outside the box on the hour but although his low drive took a touch on the way through, no corner came Gate’s way.

Gate’s best chance of a winner came two minutes from full-time.

An error by Hanley keeper Ben Chapman saw a back pass played straight to the feet of Ric Seear but the striker, who probably had more time than he thought, could not curl the ball into the empty net.

The draw sees Gate stay 10th in the league on 39 points; next up for Clarkson’s men is Litherland Remyca at The Brian Addison Stadium on Saturday.

Squires Gate: Fletcher. Gray, Rossall, Bamba, Sumner, Staunton-Turner, Ing, Charnley, Boyd, Egidi, Seear. Subs: Reader, Salthouse, Clarkson, Riley.